Unknown Love
by StrawbrryX3
Summary: Ichigo loved the life he ran. Friends, family, and a wonderful master. But, nothing lasts. Love is as fleeting as the wind, and life shorter than you could ever imagine. Though love can make life worth living through the pain.


** Kinda fluffy, sweet, you know. **

**Prologue**

_'There are things in this world that we cannot explain. Normal humans live in denial and choose not to acknowledge the unknown, fearing what may happen. The unknown is feared, fear is the unknown.'_

I shut the book and threw it across the room.

"What kind of crap are they trying to teach me?!" I sighed and leaned back in my desk chair. A soft knock sounded and the door opened. "Master Hichigo, Master and Mistress Shirosaki have arrived."

"Okay, thank you." Waving off the maid, I got up, brushed off my pants and walked out of my study. My footsteps echoed off the floors as I made my way down to the sitting room. Two people sat there, drinking tea. One a woman, the other a man, both tired looking. "Hello Hichigo, how have you been?" The woman asked.

"Very well, mother, thank you. Hello, father." I sat across from my parents, examining their faces. My mother's white blonde hair was done in a bun, her blue eyes sparkling. My father had wavy brown hair and stern, unwavering golden-amber eyes. "Your trip went well?" I asked.

"Of course." My father replied.

"We missed you so much, Hichigo. Won't you come give me a hug?" My mother looked at me pleadingly and I obliged. An uncomfortable silence fell on us, making me squirm until the same maid from before came in silently and bowed to us. "Dinner is ready, sir."

My father nodded curtly. The maid hurriedly left. Father stood, reached out for mother and said, "Wash up for dinner, son."

A silent dinner. It always was, probably always would be. A long table was where we sat, my parents eating while I simply picked at my food. "Have you picked what profession you are going to partake in, son?" Father asked.

"Yes."

"What is it, dear?" Mother asked curiously.

"A doctor." Mother's face blanched, while father remained stone-faced.

"B-but, Hichigo, the company…" Mother started.

"I've really have considered it, but Father's business is not for me." Silence. I fidgeted. Mother's face was-disappointed.

"Then go on with it. Study hard, become a doctor." I started in shock at my father. I'd imagined he would have thrown a fit or gotten angry at me, but yet there he was, calmly telling me to do what I wanted. "Thank you, Father." I told him gratefully.

I smiled genuinely, something I hadn't done in a while. Father's green eyes softened a fraction. "Then you'll be leaving for studying soon?"

"Yes."

"Good luck…Hichigo, my son."

"Thank you Father, Mother."

_Thank you-for everything._

* * *

Chapter 1

_'Myths are more potent than History. Dreams are more powerful than facts. Hope will always be at your side if you welcome it.'_

Tangerine hair down to mid back, the boy tidied up the living room. Honey brown eyes surveyed his work before moving to the kitchen to help cook. "Hey Ichigo, done cleaning?" Another woman at the stove asked. The person named Ichigo nodded.

"Then could you make some dessert, since you make them better than I do?" The man laughed and gathered the ingredients and equipment needed to make the treat. The two people worked in silence before a man with pale hair and dark, maroon eyes walked in, sniffing the air.

"What's for dinner?" He asked. The man slid his arms around the woman cooking. "Maybe if you'd let me cook, Ray, I'll tell you." Ray huffed and sat at the counter.

"You're no fun, Sue."

"Hmph." Sue snorted and resumed her work.

Ichigo smiled at the two, and then glanced at the clock. He patted his flour dusted hands on his apron and started to walk briskly to the front door. "Welcome home, sir."

Usually spiky snow white hair was wet and flattened, hypnotizing gold on black eyes sparkled at the sight of Ichigo. He took his drenched coat and hat, setting them away to dry. The man stepped out of his shoes before turning to the orangette. The man ruffled the younger's hair and kissed his cheek. The boy blushed red before guiding the taller man to the fire in the living room and sat him down in an armchair. He chuckled and brushed his thumb along Ichigo's cheek. He blushed harder. "S-sir?"

"You had flour on your face."

"Oh."

Ray came in and glared pointedly at Ichigo. "You didn't finish making dessert."

The boy immediately jumped up. "Oh, sorry!" He bowed to the man sitting and walked back to the kitchen. "How was everyone today, Ray?" The brown-haired man asked.

"Fine." Ray huffed. The man started to move, but was stopped by Ray.

"If you move, you'll only upset Ichigo." The man chuckled and settled back, grabbing a book. "Then I'll stay."

Ray nodded, starting to head back to the kitchen as well. Before he left though, he looked over his shoulder at the man. "A letter came from your parents."

The man looked up in surprise. "What?"

"A letter ca-."

"I know what you said-but for me?!" The man interrupted.

"Yeah, addressed to Hichigo Shirosaki."

* * *

Ichigo finished his dinner hurriedly and went to check on Hichigo. "Hasn't he come out of his room yet?" He asked worriedly.

"No, he got a letter from his parents and locked himself in his room." The boy looked at Sue, who nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll get the others to bed."

Ichigo set up a tray and went up to the man's door. He knocked three times. "Sir?"

"Come in, Ichigo." The orangette found his master at his desk, face in his hands. As he drew near, a letter was opened in front Hichigo. He set the tray down, and stepped off to the side. Hichigo lifted his face with a small smile.

"Thank you." The boy shook his head and smiled. "Sit." He gestured to a chair next to him. Ichigo sat and watched as two pale hands envelope both of his own.

"What is worrying you, sir?" Hichigo lifted one of his tanned, dainty hands to his face. Golden eyes were pained and troubled.

"My father….he is ill, a rare sickness-one that doesn't have a cure currently." He then took his other hand and reached up to the top orange hair where he rubbed at something. A purr was heard and the boy hesitantly nuzzled into the hand.

"I always love how soft your ears are." Dark orange ears flicked playfully, while Hichigo softly petted soft ears and hair. An equally dark tail came up and wrapped around the man's wrist. He laughed quietly and enclosed Ichigo into a hug, ears brushing under his chin.

"Just for a little while…" Ichigo blinked, but nuzzled into his master's chest, purring softly.

"Master Shiro?" He asked after a while, "Hm?"

"Nel hasn't been feeling well, so I sent her to bed." The man continued to hug the neko to him, stroking in between his ears. He hummed while doing so, seemingly content.

"How are the others?" The boy laughed, sounding tired and weary. "It took forever for me and Sue to calm them today, a favorite show was on the television, and they wouldn't settle. Ray eventually came and threatened them." Chuckling, the white-haired man pulled away to look at his favorite among all of his nekos. "Are you very tired?"

"N-no! if you need anything, I could do it for you." Gold eyes softened and he cupped Ichigo's cheek. "Then stay today."

The boy nodded, "M-may I check on Nel first?"

"Of course."

* * *

Ichigo walked past the kitchen, and saw the light on. Sue and Ray were probably still there. He stole up the stairs and walked up and down the hall. Each room held a sleeping neko, or hybrid of some sort, and he smiled.

The neko finally made it back to a room next to his. The sign on the door read 'NELIEL' in big neon green letters. A coral green haired neko with big gray-brown eyes waited for him. "Ah, you shouldn't be up, Nel," Ichigo chastised, laying the smaller girl onto her bed, "You're sick and should get some rest."

"I wanted to wait for y-" a fit of coughing interrupted her sentence. Ichigo soothingly brushed Nel's hair from her face and kissed the younger's forehead. "Go to sleep, I'll be back in the morning." The girl nodded and closed her drooping eyes. Ichigo left the room to go to his. It was larger the rest, and beside the stairs. He gathered his stuff and walked into the bathroom he shared with Nel.

The orangette took a shower and washed up before walking back down to Shiro's room. Orange hair and ears were damp, tail swishing about. Honey brown orbs sparkled as he saw Shiro asleep on the bed. Ichigo covered him up before slipping in beside the man. Even in his sleep, he reached out for the younger and hugged the neko to his chest. "Goodnight, Master." His fluffy tail wrapped lightly around his own waist before falling asleep.

* * *

**Sorry if it seemed short…this chapter didn't go the way I expected it to.**

**IF you're wondering what a neko is in this story, it's a cat/human hybrid. Other hybrids will show up, but that's for the next chapter! Also, I'm thinking about doing a story where Ichigo is a neko and a certain someone takes him up as a pet….tell me what ya think!**


End file.
